Windows 8.1 Review: Cortana and many more

After the updates of Apple’s IOS 7.1 and Apple has a PA with IOS 7.0+, hence Windows also added Cortana to its update. Windows has soon launched its 8.1 OS update. After many rumors that were in market that 8.1 would have a Siri like PA and other improvements.

Here is what the windows 8.1 contains

Cortana:  PA to you

As Apple has Siri for the user to work as a PA, Windows has added Cortana in 8.1 that work as a PA to user.  As per Microsoft their team spoke with real life PA’s to make the same implementation in their Cortana.

What does Cortana do?

It offers place, people and also time based information, shows you nearby restaurants, and works as a reminder for your calls or birthday’s. Cortana is very fast responsive as there is no lag between the time of question and answer. Cortana is a centre of vivacious information that includes reminders, settings, music search and lot more.

Inner Circle

Cortana being your PA would suggest you keep some people in Inner circle so that it would be easy for the user to find those people whenever there is urgent need and no need to get in the search box. Those people would be pinned to start screen.

Interests

Within this update user can have information on daily glance that includes calendar, weather info, traffic updates, finance or stock, nearby places for food and drinks and a lot more on the list. If user searches from Cortana, like what their favourite football team is doing. The latest news on them would be pulled and ask user whether user want to continue further. Information which you got in response stays in the interest section, until user chose it to remove.

Canvas

The things that matter most to the user are being displayed here. When the Cortana home screen is being slide upwards canvas view appears.

So what does Canvas view contains?

It has the following things flight information, Sports scores and other user personalised stuff. It saves time as you frequently ask Cortana to look out for something you are looking for, the same info is being added into canvas.

PA is polite to you..

Cortana is so polite, that it ask user permission before proceeding with any of the information.  Cortana can read user mailbox, it also ask permission there whether you want Cortana to keep reading further mails. Cortana is ease for user to access; it’s shown in the Live tile of the home screen.

Reminders are easy to set up

When you have Cortana you won’t forget any information to fill in while keeping your reminder. With the demo use, a user noticed while setting up reminder.

User: “Remind me to pick up grocery tomorrow “

Cortana:”When do you want me to remind you to pick up grocery tomorrow “

User: “10:00AM”

And further also Cortana would ask about which place you have to pick up grocery, until all the necessary details are being filled up.

A guide within phone

Cortana also suggest you how to interact with her, it also takes you in the menu within the phone. If user want to go settings app for changing the theme, user can user Cortana and say “Start+theme” and your PA would take you there.

Action Center:

Action center is upgraded with much useful features; user can pull down two kind of views in the action center. The first section or the ¼ shows the pinned tiles in the top that included a button to go to settings, time and battery life, the date.

Minor Changes:

Camera is given minor changes and the lenses are available on the right side of camera screen, helps user to jumps into different options.  A new mode is added, burst mode that makes camera in line with hardware.  

A much improved calendar looks. User can personalised their personal pictures in the background. Windows 8.1 copying the IOS parallax effect set the image with the swipe up and down pf the start screen.

Verdict:

8.1 has most powerful update of PA: Cortana giving much ease to user and a tough competition to Siri.  The answer given by Cortana is more accurate and encourages user to use the feature more and more. Action center has also improved and apart from that the canvas mode makes the user ease to remember about the things searched in past.

The core update of 8.1 is Cortana and the rest updates are as usual which has to be as per the OS is updated.

We hope that Cortana gives a tough fight to Apple’s PA: Siri. Windows 8.1 a strong update of windows so far.

PRONS	CONS
Voice search of Cortana is superb	More efforts are needed to make Phone usage personal
Cortana helps to navigate over all: within the phone and external search also	Background feature is to catchy
Action center is tardy improvement

BY:- Kabir Gupte

Image Courtesy  : Techradar